Event WPR23LA084

Factual narrative

On December 8, 2022, about 1350 mountain standard time, a Cessna TP206A, N30WL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Maricopa, Arizona. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. According to the pilot, the flight was a post-maintenance relocation flight from Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IWA), Phoenix, Arizona, to Hidden Valley Airport (AZ43), Maricopa, Arizona. The pilot stated that, while on final approach to AZ43, the engine began to sputter. The pilot turned the fuel pump switch ON, switched the fuel selector valve from left to right, and the engine lost power. About 300 ft above the ground, about one nautical mile from the end of the runway, the pilot switched the fuel selector lever back to left tank, but the engine did not restart. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The airframe and powerplant technician who completed the recent maintenance reported that the airplane was brought to the facility on November 11, 2022, due to a leak with the turbocharger system. The component was repaired and reinstalled, and a ground run of the engine was completed without any anomalies. The fuel gauges indicated that each main tank was about ¼ full during the ground run. The airplane was returned to service, and on the day of the accident, the accident pilot came to pick up the airplane. The technician added that he did not see the pilot or the passenger visually check the fuel quantities of each fuel tank. The airplane departed shortly thereafter. The technician added that he visually checked the engine after the accident and did not see anomalies. He rotated the engine and observed valvetrain continuity. The owner/operator of the airplane reported that, after the accident, about 4 gallons and 18 gallons of fuel were recovered from the left and right main fuel tanks, respectively. The owner further reported that he spoke to the pilot and passenger separately about the event, and neither mentioned completing a preflight inspection or visually verifying fuel or oil levels before departure. The owner reported that, during their conversation, the pilot and passenger also did not deny that they did not use any of the fuel pumps while the pilot attempted to restart the engine. The operator and the pilot further reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Without the knowledge or direction of the NTSB investigator in charge, the airplane was dismantled and relocated to be repaired on January 11, 2023, according to a repair station. A follow-up airframe and engine examination could not be completed. According to the Type Certificate Data Sheet (TCDS), the airplane has a fuel capacity of 65 gallons (wing tanks), with which allows 31.5 usable gallons and 1 unusable gallon of fuel per tank, respectively. According to the Pilot Operating Handbook, “with ¼ tank or less, prolonged uncoordinated flight such as slips or skids can uncover the fuel tank outlets, causing fuel starvation, and engine stoppage.” Furthermore, it states that before landing, the fuel selector lever should be moved to the fullest tank position. The pilot and passenger picked up the airplane after maintenance and departed back to their base of operation. A mechanic at the maintenance facility reported that he did not see the pilot and passenger complete a preflight inspection or check the fuel tanks. While on final approach at the destination airport, about 300 ft above the ground, the engine lost total power. The pilot stated that he moved the fuel selector from the left tank to the right tank. The airplane impacted terrain about 1/2 mile short of the runway, resulting in substantial damage to the right wing. The operator recovered about 4 and 18 gallons of fuel from the left and right main fuel tanks, respectively. The operator further reported that, during postaccident interviews with the pilot and passenger, neither recounted performing a preflight inspection or verifying fuel levels before departure. Both the pilot and operator reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. According to the pilot’s operating handbook for the airplane, “with ¼ tank or less, prolonged uncoordinated flights, such as slips or skids can uncover fuel tank outlets causing fuel starvation and engine stoppage.” Based on the available information, it is likely that the loss of engine power was due to fuel starvation as a result of the fuel in the left tank unporting during the landing approach. Furthermore, the pilot did not move the fuel selector lever to the fullest tank position before landing, as listed in the pilot operation handbook. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• — Personnel issues-Task performance-Planning/preparation-Fuel planning-Pilot
• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid management
• — Aircraft-Fluids/misc hardware-Fluids-Fuel-Fluid level